NEW DELHI: After Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s exit from the IPL 2024 following a four-wicket loss to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, head coach Andy Flower clarified that he has not applied for the position of India’s head coach.
This announcement comes in the wake of the BCCI opening applications for the national team head coach role earlier this month, with the tenure set to begin on July 1, 2024, and run until December 31, 2027.
"I have not applied and I would not be applying for the job," Flower confirmed during the post-match press conference. "I am happy with my involvement in the franchise league at the moment. I am really enjoying it. It is fascinating stuff and I have worked with some amazing organisations and I am happy with that at the moment."
Flower's remarks underline his commitment to franchise cricket, where he has been actively involved and found substantial satisfaction.
Dinesh Karthik’s Future in Cricket
Flower also addressed questions regarding wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik’s future, amid speculation that this IPL season might be his last.
Prior to the IPL 2024 season, ESPNCricinfo had reported that Karthik intended this to be his final season, a sentiment echoed by his emotional post-match hug with Virat Kohli and a lap of honour by RCB players.
Karthik, who is the 10th-highest run-getter in IPL history with 4,842 runs at an average of 26.31 and a strike rate of 135.42 across 257 matches, has not officially announced his retirement. He has scored 22 half-centuries, with a personal best of 97*. Notably, he won an IPL title with Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2013.
For RCB, Karthik has been a valuable player, accumulating 937 runs in 60 matches at an average of 24.65 and a strike rate of 162.95, including three half-centuries. This season, he scored 326 runs in 13 innings at an average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 187.35, with two half-centuries, and a top score of 83.
Commenting on Karthik’s contributions, Flower highlighted his significant impact despite limited pre-season cricket.
"He had not played a lot of cricket leading into the tournament. What he has done for us -- runs-wise, attitude-wise -- has been really special. I respect him for that. He is going to be super successful in whatever he goes on to," Flower stated. "He is a brilliant commentator already. He quite likes the idea of coaching as well -- helping and working with other people, which I am not surprised about. He will be a great success when he does that as well. I also think he might play a few more little tournaments along the way."
Flower’s insights suggest that while Karthik may be nearing the end of his IPL playing days, his future in cricket, whether through coaching or commentary, looks promising.
(With inputs from ANI)
